Badly messed up MacPro

[ClayEM]

Since installing Leopard sometime last year, my Mac (for no known reason) has occasionally quit recognizing me as an Administrator and I am unable to perform any computer function that requires an Administrator password. The only recourse has been to reinstall the operating system...I have been able to do this by copying a working backup from another HD.

This happened again this past weekend and I decided to try (again) to reset the administrator password by booting from the install DVD and using Menubar/utilities to make the changes. This time I went a step further and decided to reset the password for the Firmware setting...bad move. When I rebooted and held down the Option key to select the startup volume, I get this:

I can no longer boot from anything except the system I was using when I messed with the password changes.
When trying to use the System Preferences Startup Disk, all volumes are grayed out.
Holding "C" and trying to start from any CD or DVD gets nothing.
Trying to reset PRAM don't work...holding the Command-Option-P&R and restarting results in only one bong and the system starts up.
I even tried to reset the Firmware, but the procedure calls for holding the startup button until the CD/DVD tray opens to receive the Firmware Restore CD. Again all I get is a system startup at the first bong.

Everything seems to work okay as long as I stay within the bounds of a 'User', but nothing works that needs administrator approval.

Obviously I need some expert help. I have held off calling my nearest Apple store (40 odd miles away) until I've exhausted all other options.

Clay

[Mayo]

Clay, I'm a bit busy this morn so I couldn't spend much time on your problem but I did come across this thread that has some info that might be helpful...

Mayo

"Tennessee, Tennessee, There Ain't No Place I'd Rather Be... Baby Won't You Carry Me... Back To Tennessee"
     Tennessee Jed/The Grateful Dead

[ClayEM]

Thanks Mayo...especially for the quick response.

I was able to reset things so that I can again select a startup volume...and boot from the install DVD.

I was able to copy a backup system to my main system and this (at least temporarily) allows my Mac to recognize me as an Administrator.
Now if this will just stay put...but probably won't. Somehow I think the problem is in the Leopard OS and keep my fingers crossed that each upgrade will fix the problem. But it hasn't yet.

Clay

[tacit]

The problem came because you set a firmware password. In English, "set a firmware password" means "lock down the computer and refuse to permit it to start from a CD or from any other hard drive."

The only time I'e seen a computer refuse to accept an Administrator password is either if the computer's hard disk has a damaged directory (have you checked the disk directory with Disk Utility?) or if the computer has Norton Antivirus installed--this is a known bug in Norton Antivirus.

[Paddy]

Actually, those apparently aren't the only situations where a Mac running Leopard refuses to accept an admin password, tacit. It's a new one on me, but Apple has a knowledge base article on the subject (see link below). Clay, how did you install Leopard in the first place? I'm wondering if it was an upgrade - and that the problem is simply repeating itself when you clone the system. See:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1278?viewlocale=en_US

It might be time to try an archive and install, or even a clean install to see if you can make the problem go away for good, should the steps in the Apple knowledge base article not accomplish that.

However, as tacit suggests, I'd also check for disk directory problems with DU and/or Disk Warrior.

[ClayEM]

Thanks TS'ers for a lot of useful info...I'm a lot better informed now.

I decided not to wait for the password problem to crop up again. I have three internal HD's and decided to clean one out and start from scratch.
I erased one of them by zeroing all data and installing everything from scratch...Operating system and applications. Whew! Big project.
It's taken me over two days and I'm not finished yet. However, I think in the long run it'll be the best move. I have been installing new OS"s on top of old OS's
for several years now and decided to clean house (so to speak). Even with the last two Macs I've acquired, I just used Target Disk Mode and transferred applications and settings
to the new computers to avoid this hassle.

Anyway my MacPro is humming nicely now and I don't expect a recurrence of the password problem.

Clay